Blame Igbos For Voting Atiku, APC Replies Orji Kalu Over Dep. Senate President Slot

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to the threat by one of its senators-elect, Orji Uzor Kalu, to move against the party should it fail to zone the deputy senate president position to the South East.

Kalu had in reaction to the party’s zoning of the Senate President position to the North East, said APC senators from the South East will resist any attempt by the party to deny the region the deputy slot.

He also threatened to defy the APC by contesting for the position of senate president if the party fails to zone the deputy position to the South East.

“Well, I am a very loyal party member, the party has zoned it to the North East and I am bound to respect the party’s will and the second position is what we are not going to allow for the party. As far as I am concerned, in the south east, I am going to run openly on the floor of the House for the Senate President. I am not going to listen to the party, neither will I listen to anybody. Nobody who is going to be the Deputy Senate President is more loyal than I am to the party. I have suffered for the party, and I want the party to respect the will of every other person and I am committed to democracy,” said the former Abia state governor and senator-elect for Abia North senatorial district.

But reacting to Kalu’s threat, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena, said the senator-elect and his colleagues from the South East should forget about the deputy senate president seat.

Nabena said Kalu “can contest for the position of Senate President. But the issue is, can he win? Nobody is stopping him from contesting. Igbo people always play themselves out. So, Kalu cannot blame APC.”

Speaking further he said, “He (Kalu) should blame his own people from the South-East. He should blame them because they don’t know how to play politics. They play politics like a one-way thing. They all voted for Atiku in the presidential election. So, now that Atiku lost, who will help people like Orji Kalu? 99.9 percent of them followed Atiku.

“So, what is Kalu crying for? He should go back to his people and educate them on how politics is played especially at the national level. They should play 50-50. If this one didn’t work, the other can work.

“So, Orji Uzor Kalu must go back to his people and educate them because he himself is not worthy to be Senate President or Deputy Senate President. So, if he wants to contest, he can do so. Nobody is stopping him. But I know that he cannot win,” the APC spokesperson told Daily Independent.